The average movie length people say they want is now 88 minutes — which makes the upcoming Odyssey at 172 minutes a particularly interesting bet. Adam Holtz from Plugged In joins Brian From to break down what's happening in summer movies. First, live action Moana: a beat-for-beat remake of the original that is neither stunningly good nor stunningly bad, but probably exists because the animated film is the most streamed movie across all platforms over the last five years — 80 billion minutes of viewing. Then the bigger story: The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's blockbuster epic, is already a flashpoint before it even opens. The latest trailer has been ratioed online with ten times as many dislikes as likes, driven largely by casting choices that have race-swapped and gender-swapped major characters including Helen of Troy and Achilles. Meanwhile mainstream media reviews from early screenings are effusive. The gap between those two reactions tells a story about who controls the narrative — and whether it's representative of the actual audience. Adam and Brian also reflect on the broader pattern: franchises and sequels keep bombing while low-budget originals like Backrooms clean up. Maybe audiences are simply exhausted by retreads. Full reviews at pluggedin.com.

<p>The average movie length people say they want is now 88 minutes &mdash; which makes the upcoming Odyssey at 172 minutes a particularly interesting bet. Adam Holtz from Plugged In joins Brian From to break down what's happening in summer movies. First, live action Moana: a beat-for-beat remake of the original that is neither stunningly good nor stunningly bad, but probably exists because the animated film is the most streamed movie across all platforms over the last five years &mdash; 80 billion minutes of viewing. Then the bigger story: The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's blockbuster epic, is already a flashpoint before it even opens. The latest trailer has been ratioed online with ten times as many dislikes as likes, driven largely by casting choices that have race-swapped and gender-swapped major characters including Helen of Troy and Achilles. Meanwhile mainstream media reviews from early screenings are effusive. The gap between those two reactions tells a story about who controls the narrative &mdash; and whether it's representative of the actual audience. Adam and Brian also reflect on the broader pattern: franchises and sequels keep bombing while low-budget originals like Backrooms clean up. Maybe audiences are simply exhausted by retreads. Full reviews at pluggedin.com.</p>

The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God’s design for all of us fulfilled.

<p>The idea of &ldquo;the common good&rdquo; has a rich history within the Christian church. It&rsquo;s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God&rsquo;s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God&rsquo;s design for all of us fulfilled.</p>